Sighting apparatus for guns.



, A. 'T. DAWSON & G. T. BUGKHAM.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR GUNS. APPLIOATIOKI'ILIQBD MAYBE, 1908. I 4 I I v Patented A m-20,1909.

A. '12 DAWSON,& G. T. BUCK HAM.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR GUNS.

APPLIOATIQN nun MAY 13, 1908.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATE-S rarer olrrron.

ARTHUR'TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS SONS & MAXIM, LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENG- LAND.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR GUNS.

Specification of Letters Yatent- Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed May 18, 1908. Serial No. 433,489.

'1 0 all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that we ARTllUR TREVOR DAWSON, lieutenant Royal Navy, director and superintendent of Ordnance Works, and GEORGE THOMAS BuoKnAM, engineer, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at 32 Victoria street, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Sighting Apparatus for Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gun sighting apparatus of the kind in which the operation of setting the sighting apparatus for range and deflection can be effected automatically from a distant position or fire control station where the observations relating to the range and deflection are made.

For the purpose of our invention we provide at the ii re control station electric transmitters connected electrically with appropriate receivers which are situated adjacentto the sighting apparatus of each of the guns that are controlled fromthe fire control station and which serve to control electric mo tors appropriately geared with the sighting apparatus and possessing suflicient energy derived from any suitable source of electric supply for cilectuallyactuating the sighting apparatus and setting it to the required range and deflection.

The transmitters at the'lirc control station may comprise small electric motors of any appropriate kind controlled by rotary hand switches such for example as are described in my prior British specification No. 10659 of 1907' or other means for causing a step-bystep rotary motion to be imparted tothe said motors and to pointers traveling around graduated dials, or to counting drums, said pointers or drums indicating th'c magnitude of the range 01 deflection transmitted to the receivers and sighting apparatus, and being situated at both the transmitting and receiving stations, or only at the transmitting station, and operated ina manner well known in connection witlrfirc control systems. The said receivers comprise small electric motors and electric switches, the motors being similar to those situated at thc' lire control station and adapted to move in synchronism therewith. These small motors operate through the intervention of the electric switches to control the current supply of the sight-actuatiug motm's, so that a change in the movement of the receiver motors will cause a corresponding movement in the sight actuating motors.

In order that the. said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the sighting apparatus embodying the features of our invention. Fig, 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 an end elevationof the same. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the receiver shown on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the same taken on the line 11 Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical connections of the receiver and the actuating motor of the sighting apparatus.

The sighting apparatusto which we have shown our invention ap lied, is of the well known cross-connecte type COIIIPIlSlII sight bars A A hin 'ed to a bracket A an connected together y a transverse shaft A and a rod A, the said shaft A serving to impart simultaneous elevation to the sight bars when the elevating gear is actuated and the said rod A serving; to impart simultaneous lateral movement to the sight bars when the deflection gearis actuated as is Well understood. 7

B B are the receivers appertaining respectively to the elevating gear and the do-. ilection gear and Q? are the electric motors for actuating the said elevating gear and deflection gear, themotors being controlled b the receivers as will be hereinafter describecli The elevating motor and its receiver are carried by a stationary part of the framing of the apparatus and the detlection motor and its receiver are carried by oneof the hinged sight bars so as to move therewith during the change in elevation of the sights. 'lhe motor C is connected by a shaft c with a worm c meshing with a worm wheel 0 mounted on r shaft 0 This shaft has a pinion c gearing with a toothed wheel 0 on the cross-connecting shaft A which carries the elevating Jainions that gear with the elevating racks B in the usual manner. The deflection motor 0 is connected by a shafte with a worm gearing with a worm wheel c inountedon the spindle that carries the usual deflectlng screw, The shaft'c of the elevating motor O has a bevel wheel 0 gearing with a bevel pinion l; on the shaft l1 forming part of the receiver B the shaft 0 of the deflection mo tor C is provided with a similar bevel wheel 0 gearing with a bevel inion b on the shaft I tion to the deflection motor C and its reenergized. T

slpring controlled paw ceiverB, it will onl be necessary for a clear comprehension of t e invention to describe one of these apparatus.

The elevating receiver B comprises in the example shown a spindle 1) (Figs. 4 and 5) which is capable of being revolved in a step b step manner in either direction by means 0 electro-magpets b b when the latter are ese electro-ma nets control pivoted armature levers b b w iich are situated at opposite sides of the spindle b They carry at their upper or free ends hinged s b? b one of which ives a ratchet wheel I) and the other a ratchet wheel b These ratchet wheels are attached to the spindle b with their teeth directed in opposite directions so that when .one of the armature levers is actuated it drives the spindle in one direction and when the other armature lever is actuated it drives Working in conjunction with the spindle is the electric switch through the intervention of which the current supply to the motor (.3 is controlled for changing the elevation of the sighting apparatus in accordance with the movement of the electro magnets b b".

y In the example shown this switch. comprises a drum D, which is loosely mounted on the end of the spindle 1) remote from the aforesaid ratchet wheels b I), This drum is adapted to be revolved in the said spindle by means of a worm wheel (1 caring with a worm b on the shaft 1) w ich, as before stated, receives motion from the elevating. motor C through the bevel gearin c b. This drum carries integrallly therewit three portions or rin s d d 5 w ich are insulated rom the said rum. The portions d"d are electrically connected together butt'he portion cl is insulated from the other two portions. The portions (1 d are formed with spiral or helical grooves on their periphery which grooves communicate by a steeper spiral roove d extendin through an insulated b ockor iece d ounted on the said spindle bis a ollow insulated drum E which is adapted to revolve with said spindle and also to slide longitudinally thereon, for which purpose the'shaft is made of rectangular shape in cross-section at this part. The

gearing With which the sighting forming part of the electric circuit of .the

apparatus as hereinafter described. The

said receiver is also provided with relays or I electro-magnetic switches G H which control- ,the direction of the current passing through the elevatin 7 motor 0 and the direction of revolution 0 the latter, so that the elevation of the sighting apparatus can be increased ordiminished as required.

We will now describe the working of the apparatus wit-h reference more particularly to i igI'fi:- v

1, 2 are the mains leading the current to the elevating motor 0 through the contacts g g h h. controlled by the electric magnets or relays G H. 3, 4 are other mains leading the current to the brushes e d d of the insulated rings (1 d (l and to the windings of the said' relays G H.

5, 6, are branch mains leading from the mains 3, 4 to the rotary transmitting switch A which operates the electro magnets 11 b iof the pawland ratchet driving gear for the shaft 15 carrying the sliding drum E and its contact iece-e.

First at it be assumed that the said contact piece e is resting upon the insulated piece d of the drum D, in which case the circuit through the receiver will be open and the elevating motor will remain at rest by "reason of the relays G H being both in-' active and the contacts they control open.

parted to the said shaft 6 together with the drum E and its contact piece e. As soon as the contact piece e leaves the insulated piece d, the circuit from the mains 3, 4 will be completed through the rin d d andbrush d of the drum D and the re ay G, whereupon the contacts g g appertaining thereto will be closed and current from the mains 1, 2, permitted to flow through the elevating motor which will then operate to cause the an le of elevation of the sighting apparatus to e changed in a direction, let us say, to increase the elevation. During this operation the contact piece Wlll travel in the spiral grooves .of the ring (i and the drum E carrying the re A tel-act the longitudinal movement of the drum E and its contact piece, with the result that when the step-by-step rotation of the shaft 1) case which will occur as soon as the rotary t1 -itter switch at the iire control station it 0, longer; actuated,t the continued move; a a "1' vating motor will move the drum E and its dong the shaft toward the right, thus returning said contact piece to its original position in which it \Vlll again bear upon the insulated piece The circuit through the relay G will then be broken and the contacts 9 9 will be opened by springs or other mechanical devices, thereby the circuit from the mains l, th c sting motor which will aca to rest.

ssinuned that the rotary at the fire control station is rotated in the direction Wl'llCll operates the electro magnet ii of the pawl and ratchet -zlevice oi the receiver. Then this electromagnot b will cause a step by step rotation to he imparted to the snaft b but in the re verse direction to that above stated. The contact piece e of the drum it will then leave the insulated piece (I? and enter the spiral grooves of the ring (Z thereby completing the circuit from the mains 3, 4 through the ring (1 and brush d of the drum l: end the relay H. The contacts 71 7r appertaining to this relay will thus be closed and current from the mains 1, 2 will flow through the elevating motor lield coils in the same direction but in the armature in the reverse direction to that above stated when the relay contacts g g were closed. The said motor will then operate to cause the angle of elevation of the sighting apparatus to be changed in a direction to diminish the elevation. During this operation the contact piece will travel in the spiral grooves of the ring (1 and the drum E carrying the contact piece will move longitudinally along the shaft 6 toward the right. At the same 'time the drum 1) will breaking also be rotated by the elevating motor through the said bevel gearing b d, in a direction to counteract the longitudinal move ment of the drum E and its contact piece, until the insulated piece at and the contact piece 44 again coincide, whereupon the circuit through therelay ll will be broken and the relay contacts h 7L2 opened. The flow of current to the elevating motor from the mains 1, 2 will therefore cease and the motor will come to rest. It will thus be seen that the effect of rotating the drum E by the step by step rotation imparted to the shaft 1) by one or other of the Hectic-magnetic pawl devices, is to cause the contact piece 6 to move in one or other direction away from the insulated piece or neutral point (1 on the.

drum D, and that the effect of rotating the drum D by the elevating motor is to counterof the drum D by the elel l l thus depends upon the electrical impulses transmitted to the elcctro-niagnetic pawl devices from the fire control station, such impulses depending of course upon the amplitude and degree of change to be e'll'ectcd in the elevation of the i I; -ting apparatus to, accord with the variations in range.

The spiral grooves in the rings (Z (Z of the drum 1) are made of sullicient length on either side of the neutral point (1 to permit the contact piece to travel far enough in either direction to accumulate all the step by step movements of the electro -magnetic pawl devices required for transmitting the maximum range, so that should the elevating motor circuit be broken, the receiver will re cord the amount of range that may have been transmitted, and on remaking the motor circuit, the motor will run in the required direction, until the range already transmitted has been given to the sighting apparatus and the neutral point (I coincides. with the contact piece e.

Although we have described the aforesaid receivers as being provided withstep by step pawl and ratchet devices for actuating the same, we do not desire to limit ourselves thereto, any other appropriate form of motors adapted to work syncl-ronously with the mo tors at the fire control station may be employcd for this purpose.

ltwill be seen that by our invention the receiver motors operate more or less like an electrn relay to bring into action a sulliciently powerfiil force for efiiciently performing the mechanical operation of actually setting the sighting apparatus for range and deflection.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In electrically actuated gun sightingapparatus adapted ,to be controlled from a distance, the combination with electric transby the said drum, a sight actuating motor operatively connected with the drum that is rotatably mounted on. the receiver motor s indle and meansconnected with the said ruins for controlling the current sup ly to the sight actuating motor substantia 1y as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in )resence of two witnesses.

A THUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUCKIIABI. Witnesses HENRY KING, ARCHIE H. NICHOLS. 

